This invention relates to household refrigerators and in particular to the cabinet assembly for a refrigerator having a freezer compartment on top, a fresh food compartment on the bottom, and incorporating a hot liquid anti-sweat loop.
It is common practice in the manufacture of household refrigerators to incorporate an anti-sweat heater in the front face of the freezer compartment which surrounds the access opening of that compartment and these heaters are either electric resistance heaters or a hot liquid tube heater which is part of the condenser unit of the refrigeration system. The refrigeration system of a household refrigerator includes a compressor, condenser and evaporator wherein refrigerant is compressed by the compressor to produce hot liquid which is pumped to the condenser. The liquid subsequently passes through the liquid line and a capillary tube to the evaporator where heat from inside the refrigerator is used to boil the liquid in the evaporator and the liquid is then returned to the compressor by the suction line. The condenser is an elongated tube that is formed in a serpentine and contains hot refrigerant liquid and a portion of the tube or loop may be used to perform the anti-sweat function in the refrigerator.
It is normal for refrigerators and particularly the freezer compartment of the refrigerators to have some small amount of cold air leakage and/or normal conduction through the gasket sealing the access door to the freezer compartment and that small amount of leakage can cause the front face to be cold. Condensation results around the face of the freezer compartment when warm humid room ambient air comes in contact with the cold surface. The anti-sweat heater is to warm the area around the front face of the freezer compartment so that condensation is minimized.
It has been the usual practice in installing the hot liquid loop in a refrigerator cabinet that it be secured in some manner usually by many metal or plastic clips. The manipulation of the rather long, small diameter tube forming the loop to place it correctly in the cabinet for good heat transfer characteristics is very difficult. This practice results in costly installation and due to the tolerances involved between the liquid loop and the cabinet in many instances the liquid loop is not retained tightly against the front face of the freezer compartment for maximum heat transfer.
By this invention there is provided an arrangement whereby the hot liquid anti-sweat loop from the condenser is secured to the cabinet and in good heat transfer relationship therewith with a minimum amount of clips or other securing means.